


Unexpected Beginnings

by Midlou



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga), Sword Art Online Alternative
Genre: F/F, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Mild Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-19 06:03:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17595833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midlou/pseuds/Midlou
Summary: Lisbeth finally decides to confess feelings she's held for a long time. Will the unexpected beginnings blossom into something or wilt.





	Unexpected Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a looong one. Written during the month of November 2018 for NaNoWrIMo. 
> 
> You ever have a fic that you keep editing and re-editing to oblivion? Yeah that's this fic for me. It's time for me to just share the story.

Klein glanced at the messy dishes piled high in his sink and sighed. Opening the cupboard with a creak he pulled out a styrofoam container of instant ramen and set his kettle to boil.

"Whew, that was loads of fun. Time to eat something."

Just a few moments before, Klein had removed his Amusphere, a device used to connect to the virtual reality world, after a session of playing Gun Gale Online with his friends. They had encountered a particularly nasty group of PKers, players who focus entirely on player vs player fights and/or trolling/griefing others in game.

*Nock nock*

"Wrong door!" Klein called out loudly before lowering his voice and speaking to himself. "Man I swear that old lady needs to figure out who her family is. Or her family needs to get her into care if she's got alzh--"

*nock nock* "Oh come on!" Klein hastily placed down the bowl he was opening on and heading to the door.

Klein flung the door open.

"Granma-san your house is a few door..."

Klein stopped himself as the individual at his door was neither old or lost.

"L-lis?!"

Standing in front of him was one of his fellow Sword Art Online friends, Lisbeth. The same girl who he had just finished driving around in game as all of them took on that nasty group of PKers. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans, and a casual white button up blouse that was open revealing a black t-shirt underneath. Around her neck was a corded coral pink necklace.

"Well, you gonna stand there visualizing me as an old lady or are you going to let me in!" Lis stated, in her usual sarcastic tone.

"Uhhh..."

"Fine I'll let myself in then."

Lisbeth passed by Klein and slipped off her sandals as she entered. Klein looked down and noted her painted toenails.

"Red, huh, pretty cute..." Klein thought to himself before shaking his head vigorously.

"Wait what. Lis what are you... I'm making dinner here. Like dontcha normally call before coming to a friends place?"

Lisbeth turned around towards Klein, at the end of the hallway before his living room and kitchen. "Ohhh let me guess, poor student Ramen. Even though you're not a student anymore. Oh look! I'm right! Tsk tsk." She shook her head as she entered the main area of Kleins' apartment.

Klein opened his mouth to speak, closed it then opened it again but finally closed in it silence before locking the front door and into the main area of his apartment. This was the first time he had ever had a girl in his new apartment and it was most definitely not how he wanted it to go. Nor was it who ever expected to be the first girl into his apartment.

Lisbeth plopped down on the couch and twirled one of her bangs with her fingers, Klein noted a change in her expression as he entered the kitchen area of his bachelor apartment.

"Look. I ate already so don't worry about feeding me or anything okay. Just make whatever you need to for yourself. I... I just came to talk," Lisbeth said, softly.

Klein looked at Lisbeth, now more confused than ever. "Lis are you oka..."

"Klein. Eat."

"Okay... Okay..." Klein turned around and focused his attention to his cup of ramen.

Klein poured the now boiling water from the kettle into the cup, and then closed the tab back over itself before turning to his friend. He rolled his shoulders forward and turned back around to face Lisbeth.

"So what's up Liz?"

"I just wanted to say, it was really fun today playing GGO with you. Even if you are an absolutely INSANE driver," Liz started to chuckle.

Klein saw Lisbeths half smile as she chuckled and found himself noticing a certain cuteness in his friend. He, of course knew all of his female friends from SAO were fairly attractive. But there was something different about Lisbeth, it was a more of a silent natural beauty she held.

"Anyways. I guess it's okay because it's GGO, to be a crazy driver that is..."

"Wait.. is that all you came all the way over here to say?" Klein grabbed his cup of noodles from behind and began to stir them.

"Look what I'm trying to say is..." Lisbeth trailed off. "I really, REALLY enjoyed playing with you and I'd like to play with you as two players..."

"What, like you mean play more GGO? As a duo? Surely that's not necessary to come over to tell me that? Unless you're worried Sinon or anyone will feel jealous you're using me for help?"

"No... Ugh Klein, how can you be so thick!" Lis raised her voice.

Klein stopped stirring his cup of noodles and stared at his brunette friend. "Lis if you just came over to berate me and make fun of me..."

"Klein, I have feelings for you. I... I think I'm in love," Lis stammered. "With you..."

The cup of noodles slipped out of Kleins hand as he stared at his friend. The styrofoam container splattered it's contents outwards and Klein felt the warmth of broth on his socks.

Lisbeth watched the cup fall and winced as it clattered on the the ground. She stared towards the floor at its final resting place and twirled her hair between her fingers. Lisbeth felt her face flush red and tried to push the thoughts of how ridiculous she probably looked right now out of her mind.

A million thoughts raced through Klein's head. Sure Lisbeth was cute and all but she was so much younger than he was and had spent the past half decade doing nothing but making fun of him for most of their adventures in VRMMOs. It WAS fun to play with her when she wasn't teasing him but... Klein's focused his gaze on Lisbeth as she fidgeted in front of him and stepped over the cup of noodles to move closer.

"Alright Kirito, Asuna, Sinon, Silica... everyone you can come out now...Hahaha Nice prank." Klein looked over his shoulder and yelled at the door, then looked up to try and find one of Kirito's hidden cameras somewhere in the room.

"Klein this isn't a joke!" Lisbeth stood up "Do you think I'm that cruel!?" Her eyes began to water.

"No... No i don't but... Lis this seems so.. sudden and out of place. You've spent the past however many years making fun of me so... I can be forgiven if I'm surprised by this."

"I know Klein... I know." Lisbeth said, sitting back down and returning to twirling her hair. "At first... at first I really thought you were just some goofy silly guy who I really didn't understand... But over time, and especially once I got over my silly crush on Kirito... I slowly started to feel something towards you. If I'm honest I originally pushed it away and out of my mind because... well I was 15 then and I figured it was just some dumb crush of someone my senior."

"When did it start happening so much that you couldn't ignore it?" Klein asked plainly. In his mind he still wasn't sure if this was a prank. More concerning to him, he couldn't get a read on how she was emotionally currently.

"Remember when we went with the ice king and saved the princess?"

"Yeah... I do Lis."

"Well about that time, I really started to respect you. I even said it remember, when you stuck to your guns with that girl and you ignored all of us and went on to save... which ended up saving us all." Lis Smiled weakly. "When I realized how much you stuck to your convictions... I really saw you in a different light. I think ever since then the feelings for you built more and more. And after all the fun we had in GGO with those PKers... I just finally decided to start listening to my heart wholly."

"And our age difference?"  _"Shit, I think she's being serious... I have no idea how to deal with this."_

"That's why I'm here now Klein. I just had my birthday last week remember? I'm 20 now so... I can confess this to you with no regrets. I understand if the age difference is too much for you, especially with your chivalry. Heh. But... I just wanted to give this a try." Lisbeth sighed. It felt like the weight of an elephant had been removed from her shoulders. She looked up and saw Klein's steely stare aimed right at her. She shifted slightly on the couch and eagerly awaited his reply.

"Lis, let's move into my bedroom." Klein opened the door to the left of Lisbeth.

"K.. Klein!?" Lisbeth stammered, her face felt as hot as a volcano "Surely that's a BIT too fast you pervert!?"

Klein rolled his eyes. "I need to sit down, I can't think and stand right now."

Klein entered his bedroom as Lisbeth sighed relieved. She got up and followed him in and noticed he was sitting on his bed. There was a computer table and a chair which he motioned for her to sit at. Lisbeth promptly sat and looked down at her feet swaying, not quite touching the ground due to the height of the chair.

"So..."

Klein put his finger up as if telling her to wait.

"Lisbeth, you're really cute. Like, I won't say you're unattractive at all. And I know how rare it is to find a girl in VRRMOs, a real girl anyways. Especially one who isn't ugly or spends all her time in VRMMO's and doesn't have a life outside of them." Klein half rolled his eyes and noticed Lisbeth's slight smile before it dropped into a frown.

"There's a but coming in that sentence isn't there," Lisbeth said forlornly.

"Yeah... But... I'm really not sure how I feel about you. I've always seen you as a friend and.."

"Oof, so I'm getting hit with the childhood friend trope..."

Klein stared blankly at Lisbeth before continuing, his voice lowering. "I'm not sure if I've ever explored my feelings towards you. Lis... if I had just met you, I'd say yes right away. But we have some history, I met you when you were still in high-school, and because... you're such a good friend of mine... I don't want to lose that friendship y'know?"

"Klein... please. Even if this doesn't work I still will be friends with you. That will never change," Lisbeth pleaded.

Klein shook his head. "I've heard that before... In other relationships. Remember, I've been around the block a few more years than you..."

Lisbeth chortled.

"On top of this... the age thing is a bit more of a bother to me than it should be. I just need to time. This isn't a yes or a no. This is a please let me sit on it for a bit okay Lis?"

Lisbeth sighed and went to hug him.

Klein backed off a few centimetres as Lisbeth approached him and then meekly hugged her. Her hug felt gingerly to him, it reminded him of the last time he felt his mother's embrace.

"Thank you Klein, for at least hearing me out.. I wish I had an answer but..." Lisbeth started before being cut off

"Look. I just need some time. Okay Liz? I can't process any of this but yeah," Klein said softly.

"Well, that's all I can ask for from a dummy like you I guess." Lisbeth nodded as she promptly got up and left Kleins room. As Klein looked up at Lisbeth leaving the room, the last sight he had was her cellphone charm in her back pocket, swaying with her hips at each step.

Klein heard his front door click closed and exhaled. He sat still on his bed for a few moments before falling backwards onto it and exhaling once more, grabbing his phone from his bedside table and And lying down. he took out his phone to type something and then put it down sighing.

In what felt like an eternity. He heard another knock on his door.

"Sheesh... old lady this time... I don't need this."

The knock happened again and Klein sighed deeply before inhaling and exhaling sharply "OKAY COMING!!"

Klein approached the door, shaking his head as he looked over at the spilt ramen from Lisbeths shocking announcement. When he got to his door he opened it slowly to not startle the old lady. He found himself surprised as nobody was at the door. However at the foot of his door was a bag emblazoned with a logo from a recognizable nearby convenience store. Klein picked up the bag and noticed a note

"I'm sorry Klein, I didn't mean for this to cause you fraught, at least let me make up to you for ruining your Dinner. Lisbeth the Smithy <3"

Klein opened up the bag and his eyes widened. Lisbeth had clearly run to the corner store and bought the most elegant package of ramen one could get, it was already piping hot so Klein knew she got it ready made. Beside the container in a bag were some cut up vegetables with another note

"I have no idea what your preferences are, add whatever you need <3"

Klein noticed there was another styrofoam container underneath but grabbed everything and brought it in.

Klein set the bag down on the table and removed everything. He placed the last styrofoam container down and opened it up.

"Whoa!"

Inside the styrofoam container was a full serving of Katsudon Special, steam rising from the breaded meat.

Klein looked to the ramen and the katsudon chicken... and sighed. He had a pang of guilt in his heart. _"She really is cute and... if she's willing to make up like this you know she has a good heart."_

Kleins stomach grumbled

"Right. Itakadimaaas."

Klein dug into the food laid out before him, letting out an appreciative mumble as he popped a piece of chicken in his mouth. _"How long has it been since I've had food this good..."_

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed and please feel free to comment or kudos :D.
> 
> Although please keep in mind this is a free piece of writing and overly critical comments may be deleted. If you absolutely must "Gordon Ramsay" or "Simon Cowell" my work please do so via private message, thanks. :)
> 
> If you ever want to chat I can be found often in the r/fanfiction discord!


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